Driving in the United Kingdom

In 1992, when we picked up a rental car in Ireland, there was a note in
the car with the following written in large type: "Drive on the left". Very
good advice. But really, driving in England is easy - "easy, peasy." You just
have to master driving on the left and get used to narrow roads. The drivers
in England are very forgiving and courteous and this makes all the difference.
You don't feel rushed. You can slow down on the narrow parts of the road without
annoying the drivers behind you. Other drivers will pull over to let you pass
more easily.

Steve on the driver side - on the right side.

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Drive on the Left

DRIVE ON THE LEFT! Yes, in the UK and Ireland they drive on the "wrong
side" of the road (or as they call it "the correct side"). The whole car is
set up differently than we are used to in North America. The driver sits on
the right. You shift gears with your left hand, instead of your right. But,
the accelerator and brake pedals (and clutch for manual transmission cars)
are in the same position, so that is not confusing (or is it?).

If you are driving on the left for the first time, it is worth it to pay
a bit more and get an automatic drive car. That way you do not have to worry
about shifting with your left hand. When you pick up your car, try to do some
practice driving. Maybe on a Sunday in a small town or a parking lot (just
like you did when you first learned to drive).

Steve always drives in the UK and Ireland (while I do most of the driving
at home in the US) because he has driven there many times and is used to it
now. It took a couple of trips to get fully used to it, but now driving on
the left is almost as natural as driving on the right.

Don't forget the passenger. It feels strange sitting on the left but not
driving! (But soon your mind is taken off that when you start to worry about
how close the left side of the car is to the stone walls and parked cars.)

Types of Roadways

There are four main types of roads:

M roads (motorways, like US freeways), shown in blue on the AA Road
Atlas. All the signs for motorways are also blue. These are not toll roads – the only exception is the 27 mile M6 Toll Road past Birmingham in the Midlands, which by passes a notoriously congested section of the normal M6. You will find rest stops along the motorways, with restrooms, shops
and restaurants.

A roads, shown in red on the AA Road Atlas, these are fast moving roads
through the countryside and towns. Sometimes they are a single lane in each
direction, sometimes two lanes in each direction. On some of the major A
roads, you will find rest stops, just like on the motorways.

B roads, shown in yellow on the AA Road Atlas, these are secondary roads
but are still fast moving.

Farm roads, shown in white on the AA Road Atlas, these are narrow farm
lanes. These roads are paved. Sometimes they are wide enough for a car in
each direction; sometimes they are only wide enough for one car and pullouts
allow cars to pass each other. This is described in more detail below.

Roundabouts (Traffic Circles)

You will encounter roundabouts frequently when driving in the countryside.
They are on minor roads and on major roads. They are even used for entrances
onto the Motorways (the M roads). Usually they handle the situation where
two roads intersect. Instead of having stop signs or traffic lights, there
is a roundabout. Once you get used to them, you will realize that they work
well and let the traffic flow.

On some of the larger or busier roundabouts, you may also get traffic lights at the entrance or part of the way round – some of these lights only operate at peak hours.

Road Signs for Roundabouts

Roundabouts are well signed. As you approach, a few hundred yards from
the roundabout, there will be a large traffic sign showing where each exit
from the roundabout goes. This will be shown by highway route numbers and
the larger town destinations for the highway. After this first sign, there
is usually a smaller sign for the same roundabout, but showing smaller towns
that each exit goes to. Once you are in the roundabout, each exit is clearly
marked showing both the major and minor towns

First sign shows major town destinations and highway numbers
for each turn.
Reminder: the car in this photo is moving towards you!

The sign above is posted on the road well before the roundabout. It clearly
shows which towns are in each direction. You enter the roundabout from the
road at the bottom of the sign (6 o'clock). Some roundabouts have more exits
and are not as straight forward as this one.

If these roads had been major roads (A roads), the sign would have been
in green to indicate this. Green signs show roundabouts on A roads; white
signs for B roads. These photos were taken on smaller roads (because it was
easier for me to walk back along the road to take the photo).

Second sign shows minor town destinations for each turn.

The sign above is posted on the road after the major sign (and on the other
shoulder!). It shows the smaller towns for each exit. If the first roundabout
sign was green (for A roads), the second sign will be white and in the roundabout
format. In this case the first sign was white, so a simple direction sign
like this follows.

This duplication of signs is a great help when navigating. Figure out the
major town in the direction you are going and watch for it on the signs. But
you will be given a second chance to see if your town is listed in the second
sign. Watching the road signs is the best way to navigate.

Entering the Roundabout

Basic Rule: Look to the right for oncoming traffic, then drive clockwise
in the roundabout (exits are on the left).

As you enter the roundabout, traffic coming from your right has right of
way. This means that traffic streaming into the roundabout from the entrance
to your right will keep coming as long as no one is coming from their right.
These cars may not even slow down as they enter the roundabout, because they
have the right of way. You must stop and wait until there is a break in traffic.
Watch out for other traffic in the roundabout.

Car entering roundabout. No traffic coming from the right.

The roundabout in the photo above has a big grass circle in the middle.
They are not always like this. Sometimes it is just a circle painted on the
pavement.

The Double Roundabout

The double roundabout is usually found in towns where several streets come
together. Remember to give way to traffic coming from the right in both roundabouts.

Sign showing a double roundabout

In the sign above you can see that the main flow of traffic is using the
roundabout to go straight (with a slight turn to the left).

See Resources below for links to the Magic Roundabout in Swindon (five
"mini roundabouts") and in Hemel Hempstead (bi-directional roundabout).

How to Navigate the Course of Parked Cars in a Village or Town

The villages and towns in the countryside were built long ago, before cars,
and have very narrow roads. Many houses have no private parking, so people
park on the street. You can park on the street anywhere that is not marked
with double yellow lines.

These parked cars make you weave your way through a village, going back
and forth from the middle of the road, to your lane. Winchcombe, where we
spent a month in September 2004, is a prime example of this. A B road goes
through the village. As you approach the village the speed limit goes from
50mph to 30mph (many big signs warn you of the speed change). In the village
you are on the main street that is about a mile long and is lined with beautiful
row houses, some in Cotswold stone, others timbered (the town is beautiful).
This road is wide enough for two cars, going in opposite directions, to pass
each other. But cars are parked along one side or the other (this changes
every few blocks), making the road one car wide in many spots.

If the car is parked on your side of the road, you have to judge if two
cars can fit on what remains of the road. If not, then you must wait until
the traffic is clear (giving way to oncoming traffic). Sometimes an approaching
driver will pull over to give way to you and may flash their lights to tell
you to proceed.

This all makes it slow going through many villages, but it also keeps the
traffic slow, which is good for the pedestrians.

How to Navigate the Very Narrow Country Lanes

Some of the country lanes are only wide enough for one car, but there are
frequent pullouts (called "laybys") where one car can pull over and let the
other car pass. On the AA Road Atlas, these country lanes are shown as white
roads. The countryside is full of these lanes. No white dividing line is painted
on these roads; these lines are only painted when the road is wide enough
for two cars.

The narrow lanes are easy to drive, just pay attention to what is ahead
of you and don't drive fast when you cannot see far ahead. These roads are
not very busy. Usually you will see an approaching car in the distance and
whichever one of you reaches a pullout first will pull over to let the other
car pass. If you both meet, head to head on the road, one person will reverse
to the closest pullout.

Speed Limits and Speed Cameras

There is an initiative in the UK to get drivers to slow down. They are
using speed cameras to do this, but in a way that is a bit different. The
idea is to get people to drive within the limit, not to catch and fine speeders.
Everyone knows where the speed cameras are. There are road signs indicating
the presence of cameras. The camera must be visible from 60 meters away. You
will see the camera at the side of the road (with a big yellow board behind
it) and short parallel lines across the lane indicate that there is a camera.

Long term road works over a long stretch (usually on motorways) now have a different kind of camera which measures ‘Average Speed’ (usually 50mph). A gantry above or to the side of the motorway has a camera for each lane, which records you entering the restricted area and records you leaving it (a few miles further on). If you have taken a shorter time than the the calculation for 50mph you (or you via your rental company) will get a fine and they really do enforce this.

Speed limits are clearly posted. Usually they are 30mph in villages or
towns, 50mph outside of town, and 70mph on the motorways.

Parking

Do not park along the curb on a double yellow line. With a single yellow
line, you may be able to park but look for a sign listing the times you can
park. If there is no line, usually you can park. A red line, only to be found on busy main routes, means no parking or stopping at any time.

You will find "Pay and Display" parking lots in most villages. These are
the best place to park. They are large lots, usually just a couple of blocks
from the town center, frequently with public restrooms. The parking lots are
clearly marked as "Pay and Display". Find the payment machine, read how much
parking costs and put in your coins (keep extra one pound coins for just this
purpose). The time the parking expires is printed on a ticket and you place
this on your car dash.

Note: Some parking machines ask you to enter your car license plate number
before you purchase your ticket. This is to prevent you from giving someone
your ticket when you leave (so they can use your unused time). Some machines
want you to enter your whole license number, but others ask for the digits
only. If your license has three digits, enter them. If only two, enter a zero
then the two digits (the instructions explain this). All UK licenses have
2 or 3 digits in the license number.

In recognition of the narrowness of some roads, there may be parking permitted with one wheel on the pavement. Only do this when there is a sign (showing a slightly drunken looking car) telling you to do so but if you do choose to park there, you must do it otherwise you may cause an obstruction.

Unless you are in a one way road or there is a sign specifically banning it, there is no requirement to park facing the same direction as the traffic

Crossing the Road (as a Pedestrian)

LOOK TO THE RIGHT! We are used to looking left before crossing a road,
but you have to train yourself to look right first. Many pedestrian crossing
have "Look Right" painted on the roadway. Drivers in the UK are very good
with pedestrian crossings. If you are at the crossing, they will stop to let
you cross.

Walking Along Roads

WALK ON THE RIGHT! Another very important thing to remember. Always walk
on the side of the oncoming traffic. When walking along busy narrow roads,
you want to see what is coming towards you.

Getting Gas (Petrol Stations)

Petrol Stations (gas stations) in England are pretty much the same as in
North America. Pull up to a pump, select unleaded or diesel, pump the gas
yourself, take note of the number on your pump, then go inside and pay the
cashier. Some Pay at Pump signs indicate the option to pay by card without going to the cashier.

Prices in May 2010:
Prices ranged from £1.19 to £1.24 per litre for unleaded with diesel about 1p more.

International Driver Permit (IDP)

From the information I can find on government websites, you do not need
an IDP to drive in the United Kingdom. (An IDP is an official translation
of your driver's license, usually done at the AAA.)

www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring/: This government page says that a visitor
to Great Britain can drive for 12 months on their driver's license from another
country.

Link
to IDP information on the AAA website: The AAA website indicates that
you need an IDP for the United Kingdom, but I don't think it is required by
law. The IDP is a translation of your driver's license (bring your actual
license too). It is good for one year.